Imperialism , or the quest for empire, was in part a result of the Industrial Revolution. The
mechanization of industry and resulting improvements in transportation brought new demands for
raw materials, such as palm oil as a machine lubricant and rubber for tires. The industrial age also:
• Produced military weaponry such as the machine gun and the repeating rifle, which gave Western
nations a military advantage over developing nations.
• Saw the application of steam to ships. Steamships could travel previously unnavigable rivers,
allowing Europeans to reach the interior regions of continents.
• Brought the application of science to the study of health, resulting in preventative measures against
the threat of malaria, a common tropical disease to which most Europeans were not immune.
In addition to the impact of industrialization, the concept of Social Darwinism contributed to the race
for colonies. Social Darwinism was the application of Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection to
society to justify the conquest by European nations of non-Western societies.
Role of Nationalism
Nationalism, or intense pride in one’s national culture, also contributed to the new imperialism of the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Nationalism served as both a positive and negative force. In
1870, a common language and culture resulted in the unification of the Italian city-states into one
nation. The following year, the German principalities also joined to form a single nation-state. In the
mid-nineteenth century, the United States followed a policy of Manifest Destiny that led to its
expansion from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Within the Austrian Empire, by contrast, were a number of nations with different languages,
religions, and institutions. Among them were Poles, Croatians, Czechs, Slovaks, and Hungarians. The
Russian Empire also was ethnically diverse, including not only Slavs but also Turks, Poles, Finns,
Estonians, and Jews, as well as other ethnic groups. Its diversity led Russia to try to impose the
Russian language on all its subject peoples.
Scramble for Colonies
The main regions of European colonization were India and Africa. British influence in India began as
commercial activity during the declining years of the Mughal Empire. The breakup of Mughal rule
resulted in minor disputes among local princes. The British took advantage of this situation to help
settle disputes, thereby gradually gaining greater influence in India. The Seven Years’ War (1756 to
1763), which also was fought in Europe and North America, was the first global war. It brought the
British and French into conflict in India. British victories over the French in India gave them control
of the country. Many of the Indian soldiers, or sepoys , were attracted to the higher-paying British
army. India gradually emerged as Britain’s key source of raw materials and main colonial market for
Britain’s manufactured goods.
British Colonial Society in India
The British who went to India created a stratified society with Europeans occupying the highest
positions. English became the language of instruction in Indian schools. The British Raj (the Sanskrit
name for the British government in India) set up telegraph lines to facilitate communications with